FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Cats, dogs, and even a three-legged goat looking for a home now that Fresno County’s new Animal Shelter opened.
The shelter cost was $9.4 million and is located near Teilman and Neilsen Aves.
When you walk through the doors you meet a variety of animals. One of them is a three-legged goat. The goat was attacked by a dog and brought to the shelter. The employees tried to save her leg but eventually, they had to amputate it.
The goat, a pig, a rooster, and rows of cats and dogs all are waiting for the right person to take them home for a chance at a new life.
Since 2012, the county’s old morgue building was home to the county’s shelter because of the conditions animals were not allowed to be inside.
“We were primarily focused outside so it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter,” said Supervisor Brian Pacheco. “It was the worst of everything.”
In 2015, Supervisors decided to build a new 20,000 sq ft building.
Pacheco cut the ribbon outside of the new shelter to celebrate the opening. He said the county has a ten-year contract with Fresno Humane. The county pays Fresno Humane a million a year to run the shelter.
“Everything is better here than it was there,” said Fresno Human Director Teri Rockhold.
The building was more expensive than originally expected but officials said it will be used for 50-60 years.
The new shelter has a climate-controlled environment, a vaccine clinic, and new high-capacity washers and dryers. The shelter also has play areas outside, and quarantine rooms to take care of sick animals.
Pacheco said 6,000 animals come through the county shelter a year. According to the Humane Society, 90 percent of animals at the shelter were not euthanized.
